Preview for UFC on FOX Live from San Jose

The UFC returns to the sunny city of San Jose, CA in yet another free installment courtesy of FOX this Saturday night.  A loaded card of the newly acquired Strikeforce roster blends with the veterans of the Octagon to wage war that culminates with the unification of the UFC and Strikeforce Lightweight titles.  You know what time it is. Time to fire up the grills and put the beers on ice, fight fans. Get ready, here comes the UFC on FOX 7!

The freebees begin on the social network between Clifford Starks and Yoel Romero. Each man is a decorated wrestler in his own respect, particularly the 2000 Olympic freestyle silver medalist, Romero. Both men have also been once defeated in their professional tenures. Being as that they’re bringing up the rear of the card, these two warriors are surely looking to score an impressive victory to climb the UFC totem pole and earn that longer green. Starks will be well advised to work diligently on his wrestling and submission game against an opponent of such deep wrestling pedigree with a love for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Romero has incidentally acquired all of his professional victories via KO/TKO so along with a grappling advantage, he should enjoy a swing in striking favor, as well. Look for him to probably revert to what is familiar, but he also obviously has the power to end fights with his fists.

Zuffa alumnist, Anthony Njokuani squares off with Strikeforce recruit, Roger Bowling for the chance to vie for

their chance at legitimacy in the lightweight division. High level striking vs. freestyle fighting would most aptly describe the second of the two Facebook battles. Njokuani has won 7 of his last 9 by KO while Bowling has won 2 of his last 3 and is making his lightweight debut, moving down from the welterweight division, likely because of dropping his last outing to 170 lb. Strikeforce champion, Tarec Saffeidine. Predicated upon his move down in weight, Bowling should enjoy an advantage in overall strength, but will also have to adjust to the speed of a smaller weight division. Njokuani not only will enjoy that advantage in speed, but in striking as well. Bowling needs to look to take this to the mat, ASAP, or may very well become the next KO victim of Njokuani’s high level Muay Thai.

T.J. Dillashaw (8-1-0) vs. Hugo “Wolverine” Viana (7-1-0)

Moving the card over from online to FX, the action continues and steps up the pace in the furiously paced

bantamweight division. Ultimate Fighter alumni, T.J. Dillashaw and Hugo Viana throw down in a chess match of wrestler vs. striker. Dillashaw, a former 3x NCAA national qualifier, will look to press the action at a furious grappling pace, especially considering that he’s a stablemate of grinders such as Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez.  Viana, on the other hand, will probably seek to implement his higher level of striking while trying to maintain distance by avoiding the takedown.

Gritty vets of the business keep the accelerator to the floor in the FX prelims. Tim Means and former Strikeforc

lightweight title challenger, Jorge Masvidal get it on for the next step up the lightweight ladder. Each man owns far more KO victories than submission wins, so on paper, this looks to have Fight of the Night potential. Who doesn’t like to see a furious brawl, right? Means is known for having great cardio and tremendous heart so there’s going to be no surrender from his side and a fighter who owns wins over Joe Lauzon and Yves Edwards is certainly accustomed to the deep waters as is Masvidal. This one’s an “anyone call it” fight so it’s tough to say where the momentum will swing.

Joseph Benavidez (17-3-0) vs. Darren “BC” Uyenoyama (8-3-0)

It doesn’t get any faster than the action in the new flyweight division and the two combatants are two of it’s finest. 2 time world title challenger, Joseph Benavidez goes heads up with multiple time submission grappling champion, Darren Uyenoyama. Both being fire baptized vets, this one is going to likely be nonstop, high intensity action from bell to bell. Being a Ralph Gracie black belt would generally give you a very distinct advantage on the ground, but we’re talking about Joseph Benavidez here so I don’t foresee any submissions in this throwdown. What is a guarantee is that it’s going to be awesome to behold.

Two more TUF alumni make up the ingredients of the next matchup. Former TUF finalist, Ramsey Nijem looks to blemish the unbeaten record of Myles Jury. Nijem is going to need to put a smothering wrestling attack together against what looks like a superior standing game that he’s up against. That’s easier said than done since Jury’s grappling, particularly jiu jitsu, is nothing to overlook. Jury brings in not only the confidence of being undefeated, but also has compiled his victories in more various fashion, 10 of 11 being polished off either by KO/TKO or submission. On paper, it looks rather definitive for Jury, but this is the lightweight division, afterall, meaning that this could very well be your typical dog fight.  If so, I’m not going to be disappointed.

On paper, we have yet another scrap that has Fight of the Night possibilities written all over it. Diversely talented, Francis Carmont welcomes Strikeforce top middleweight contender, Lorenz Larkin, to the UFC in his own brutal fashion. Carmont rides a 9 fight win streak while Larkin has never tasted defeat in his entire MMA career, both amateur and professional. That course of events could very well change on Saturday night against a well rounded gladiator like Carmont. “Limitless” has 10 wins by submission and 6 by KO to his credit so there’s plenty of traps for Larkin to fall into, but with 8 fights being cut short by his striking prowess, the confidence of an unbeaten record, and having been in with top level vets such as Robbie Lawlor and “King” Mo Lawal, Lorenz has a vast arsenal of his own for Carmont to watch out for.

Capping off the FX portion of the card, former title challenger Chad Mendes locks ’em up with Darren Elkins. Another exciting matchup on paper, Mendes will have a slight edge in power and that’s probably where the advantages end for Mendes. On the other hand, Elkins will enjoy a range advantage and that’s likely where the upper hand ends for him. Everything else is pretty evenly comparable. Both are former high level wrestlers, both can put opponents to sleep with their striking, both are “never say die” grinders, and both have pretty solid submission games. This is most likely to be resolved by the scorecards, but it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch on our way there.

                                                                     Main Card

If you’re the type who’s always inclined to root for the underdog, this one’s right up your alley. Battling back from a life of decadent drug addiction, Matt Brown starts the “party” on the main card by taking on gritty Strikeforce vet, Jordan Mein. Climbing out of the degradation of a life of habitual drug use, Matt Brown’s fortitude gives him the quality of being able to dig deep and push beyond boundaries that would prohibit most people. Riding a 3 fight win streak, the most recent coming in impressive fashion against the always tough Mike Swick, Brown’s enjoying a surge in confidence that’s going to make him trouble for anyone in the division.  Mein is a tough veteran of the sport and as such, isn’t going away easily. Both are rangy men for the division, so reach shouldn’t be a factor. Mein is also coming off an impressive win in his Octagon debut against Dan Miller so his confidence level is also at a zenith at this particular juncture of his career. Also known for his speed, Mein is going to need to exercise that part of his gauntlet to keep the iron willed Brown off balance. If a finish is to occur, it’s more likely in the submission department, but don’t disregard the possibility of a KO or TKO finish; both men are very capable of putting opponent’s lights out, as well.

Cali boys step into the trenches up next. Stockton native and Cesar Gracie black belt welcomes back to the UFC, hometown boy and fellow BJJ black belt, Josh Thomson. Diaz has not only a reach advantage, as usual, but also the benefit of having former Thomson opponent, Gilbert Melendez, in his camp to familiarize him with “The Punk.” The signature Diaz’ bros. “punches in bunches” is just the first obstacle Thomson has to deal with. True to the Diaz reputation, Nate also has the iron Diaz chin which means that even if Thomson is able to close the distance and connect, he’s likely to eat a lot of punches to get there for very little reward. Thomson’s best option is to take the fight to the ground, given that he’s able to make it past the reach of Nate, use his jiu jitsu defensively, and grind Nate down with short punches, elbows, and a restricting wrestling strategy. Diaz’ route is more simple: use the reach advantage to peck away at the wily vet and keep him from closing the gap similarly as he did against Gomi. If he can implement that basic blueprint, it should be a sour homecoming for “The Punk.”

The co-main event is intriguing indeed. Many fans are wondering if former Olympian, Daniel Cormier is more hype than substance.  Former UFC HW champion, Frank Mir, is to be the measuring stick for that doubt. Mir is an opponent that is as dangerous when he’s wounded as he is when he’s dominating a foe, as made apparent in his rematch with Minotauro. Solid striking and a highly potent ground game give “DC” plenty to be concerned with, come this Saturday evening. However, with one sided victories over “Bigfoot” Silva and the very highly regarded, Josh Barnett, Cormier has proven that he can deal with the height and experience disparities just fine. It’s the stature and reach advantage that Mir will need to exploit where others have failed and since reaching the chin of a shorter opponent isn’t quite as easy as it is with a taller adversary. If Cormier closes the distance, which he’s almost sure to do, Mir will be wise to use a vice grip Thai clinch followed by some vicious knees to his vertically challenged enemy. Cormier, being among the highest level of wrestlers, will probably use his footwork, athleticism, and punches to find his way past the reach of Mir to either find the bulls’ eye on Mir’s chin or put him on his back where he can look to end the ex-champion’s night with some punishing ground ‘n’ pound. If Cormier delivers as advertised, we’ll have the next challenger for Cain Velasquez’ title, adding a bit more drama to that particular scenario being as that he trains with the current UFC HW champ. If Mir can stop him in his tracks and take away the ‘0’ on Cormier’s record, he’ll move into the title picture himself and send the Stikeforce HW Grand Prix champion back tot he drawing board.

And now, it’s time for the main event and in keeping with a card stacked with potential Fight of the Night candidates, the main event doesn’t deviate in the least. Lightweight kingpin, Ben Henderson gives Gilbert Melendez his long awaited UFC debut. This one’s loaded with electricity. Both boast a record of victim’s that are a “who’s who” of MMA, both are very good wrestlers with outstanding cardio, both have very quality striking games, and both are overloaded with intestinal fortitude. This is going to be a FIGHT!

Henderson is one of those fighters who is that “next generation” kind of fighter meaning that he has deep pedigrees in BOTH striking and grappling. A black belt tae kwon do practitioner, he’s also a former NAIA All-American and a BJJ brown belt. Cardio isn’t a question mark on either side and Henderson knows it, so it’s common knowledge that his opponent is going to be ready for a 5 round war. Where Bendo can dictate the pace and location of the fight is with his range and higher striking level. Even put on the ground, Henderson isn’t easy to keep on the mat so if/when he gets taken down, look for him to come right back or shortly thereafter and re-establish distance against his shorter opponent. From there, Henderson needs to maintain a rhythm and distance to frustrate and dishearten Melendez, as much as it’s possible to do.

Melendez, on the other hand, needs to use the very same strategy that Frankie Edgar did in utilizing busy footwork and upper body movement to throw off the timing and balance of the UFC champ. Once confused or bewildered with the unorthodox movement, Melendez needs to take advantage of openings and “strike while the iron’s hot,” in a manner of speaking. Use a diverse boxing attack at that point and transition that to blitzing takedowns. From there, he needs to stay tight so as not to leave any room for Benson to attack from his back and/or escape back to his feet, but at the same time, stay on the attack to keep Henderson guessing. If he can stay disciplined in his gameplan, which is without a doubt, Melendez could very conceivably achieve his longtime dream of finally putting the UFC strap around his waist. If he fails to close the distance and remains at the striking range of Henderson, he’ll almost surely come up short of winning the UFC belt and he’ll forego the one he currently has possession of.

The UFC on FOX can be viewed on the FOX Network and FOX Deportes via your local cable or satellite provider. The first 2 preliminary bouts can be viewed via Facebook followed by the next 6 prelims on FX via your local cable or satellite provider. The action begins at 5PM/8PM PT/ET.